Safety-stirrup.



W. A.- OSTWALD. SAFETY STIR'RUP. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1912.

1,1 04,216. PatentedjJuly 21,1914

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WALTER A. OSTWALD, 0F BAYFIELD, COLORADO.

SAFETY-STIRRUP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Application filed August 28, 1912. Serial No. 717,569.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. OSTWALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayfield, in the county of La Plata, State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Stirrups; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make I and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in stirrups, and particularly to the class of safety stirrups.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple device of this character which willquickly and easily separate itself from the stirrup strap by the action of the foot when the rider is thrown from the horse.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of my stirrup, Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly broken away the stirrup being in normal position, Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 partly broken away, showing the stirrup in released position, Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the stirrup, Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the stirrup.

Referring particularly to the drawings, 10 Y represents the frame of the stirrup, in the upper ends of which are formed the openended slotsll. The roller 12 has the reduced end portion 13 rotatably mounted in the said slot, and the head 14 on the end of the reduced portion prevents longitudinal play of the said roller. A yoke member 15 is disposed within the frame of the stirrup and near the front edge thereof, said yoke having a pair of perforated lugs 16 on which is mounted a bolt 17 said bolt extending through openings 18 in the end in opposite sides of the frame of the stirrup a slight distance below the rollers. Above each of the lugs of the yoke is the rearwardly extending finger 18, and between the finger and the said lug are formed the recesses 19 which when the yoke is in normal position receives the reduced ends of said roller. On the ends of the shaft of the yoke are the coiled springs 20 one end of each ofwhich is secured to one side of the stirrup, while the opposite end engages with. the yoke to hold the same in normal position.

In normal position, the spring holds the yoke in the position indicated in Fig. 1, so that the said fingers engage the reduced port-ions, it of course being understood that the stirrup strap is looped around the said roller-t0 suspend the stirrup from the saddle. The forward pressure of the foot engaging against the yoke insures positively that the yoke will assume its normal position and when for any reason, as for instance the rider'is thrown from the horse the toe of the foot will bear rearwardly against the yoke rocking the same on its shaft and moving the fingers from engagement with the end portions of the rollers. When this takes place the stirrup frame will become detached from the roller, so that the rider will then have his foot free from the saddle, and not be dragged.

It will be noted that the ends of the fingers are upwardly and outwardly inclined. \Vhen the yoke is swung slightly on its pivot, the portions of the roller will ride up the incline faces of the fingers and assist in forc-' ing the yoke back, so that the trunnions will be free to pass out of the slots. 7 1

What is claimed is: p In a stirrup, a yoke having open ended slots formed centrally in the upper portions of the arms thereof, a. roller for attachment of a stirrup strap disposed between the ends of the arms, trunnions on the ends of the roller loosely disposed in the said slots, strap protecting flanges carried by the roller, a

spring pressed releasing, frame pivotally mounted in the arms of the yoke below the slot, vertical fingers on the upper end of the releasing frame, said fingers each having a horizontal open ended slot in one side thereof for the reception of one of the trunnions, the outer end of the upper portion of each of the fingers above the slot being upwardly and outwardly inclined.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER A. OSTWALD.

Vitnesses:

TAswELL W. TUNNELL, W. H. TINNIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of lE'atem' Washington, D. G. 

